Methods and apparatus for a toe-up putter club head

ABSTRACT

A club head is configured such that the toe thickness is greater than the heel thickness in order to compensate for the toe-down look encountered, for example, in extended-length putters. In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the club head body in the heel region is weight-compensated to substantially balance with the toe region. In accordance with one embodiment, a bore configured to accept the shaft is provided at substantially the center of the top rail. In accordance with one embodiment, cut-out regions are provided in the back of the club head body in the toe region and the heel region to provide the required weight compensation.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates, generally, golf club heads and, moreparticularly, to an improved putter club head for use with, for example,extended-length putters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A golfer's ability to properly line up a ball with the club head toproduce the desired ball path is largely a function of the variousvisual cues provided to the golfer by the club head during and afteraddress. This is particularly the case with putting, where the golfer'saddress and stroke direction are highly influenced by psychological andvisual factors.

While putter club heads are typically designed such that the sole of theputter, during proper address, rests square with respect to the ground,it is known that golfers often roll the golf club head slightly forwardonto the toe during address. This practice is especially prevalent withextended length or “long” putters. When the club is rolled forward ontothe toe, the shaft is more vertical, and the golfer is positioned moredirectly over the ball.

Golf club design is strictly governed by various national andinternational standards, one of which specifies that the club's shaftmust have a minimum angle (e.g., about 10 degrees) with respect to theclub head body. This prevents club manufacturers from producing puttersthat can act as simple pendulums when held directly over the ball.

In prior art putters, when the golfer positions the club so that theshaft is more vertical, the toe of the club head is necessarily lowerthan the heel of the club head. The visual effect of this heightdifference can be distracting to the golfer, and can prevent the golferfrom achieving proper address and swing direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally provides a putter club head configuredsuch that the toe thickness is greater than the heel thickness, thuscompensating for the toe-down look encountered, for example, inextended-length putters. In accordance with a further aspect of thepresent invention, the club head body in the heel region isweight-compensated to substantially balance with the toe region. Inaccordance with one embodiment, cut-out regions are provided in the backof the club head body in the toe region and the heel region to providethe required weight compensation. In accordance with another embodimentof the present invention, a bore configured to accept the shaft isprovided on the top rail at approximately the midpoint between the toeand heel regions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction withthe appended drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote likeelements, and:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are front views of a putter club head in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a back view of the putter club head shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the putter club head shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an isometric back view of the putter club head shown in FIG.1; and

FIG. 5 is a front view of a putter club head in accordance with anotheraspect of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention generally provides a club head body with anupwardly sloping toe region having a thickness greater than the heelthickness, thereby compensating for the toe-down look encountered inmany putters, particularly extended-length putters.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a club head 100 in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention comprises a body 102 having a toe region 110, aheel region 108, a sole 112, a face (or “striking surface”) 120, and atop surface (or “top rail”) 130 generally opposite said heel 112. Ahosel or, as illustrated, a bore 103 is configured to accept a shaft104. In one embodiment, bore 103 is located at substantially themidpoint between toe region 110 and heel region 108. In this regard,while the illustrated embodiment is described in the context of a bore103 provided within body 102, the present invention contemplates anysuitable hosel, bore, or other attachment method that mechanicallycouples shaft 104 to body 102. In the interest of brevity, the term“hosel” may be used herein to designate any such attachment method.

In the illustrated embodiment, toe region 110 is characterized by a toethickness d_(toe), and heel region 108 is characterized by a heelthickness d_(heel). These thicknesses are suitably defined by thedistances between sole 112 and top surface 130 at heel region 108 andtoe region 110 respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1A, when club head 100 is positioned such that sole 112is level (or symmetrical about its midpoint) with respect to reference114, toe region 110 is farther from reference 114 (i.e., closer to thegolfer's hands), and heel region 108 is closer to reference 114 (i.e.,farther from the golfer's hands). When club head 100 is rolled forwardsuch that sole 112 contacts reference 114 closer to toe region 110(i.e., when shaft 104 is held more upright), the position of body 102,and consequently top surface 130, changes significantly. Moreparticularly, referring now to FIG. 1B, when club head 100 is rolledforward, sole 112 rotates from a first position 152 to a second position150, and top surface 130 changes position accordingly, giving theappearance of a level top surface extending along a line 160 that issubstantially parallel to reference 114.

Referring again to FIG. 1A, a club head 100 in accordance with oneaspect of the present invention is characterized by a toe thicknessd_(toe) equal to heel thickness d_(heel) multiplied by a toe-up factork. In the illustrated embodiment, for example (which is not necessarilyto scale), toe-up factor k is between approximately 1.20 and 1.40,preferably about 1.3. The present invention comprehends any suitabletoe-up factor, and may be selected based on any number of designfactors, including, for example, the curvature of surfaces 112 and/or130, the length of shaft 104, the position of hosel or bore 103 withrespect to body 102, and the length of body 102.

Top surface 130 may be of any suitable shape, width, and length. In oneembodiment, surface 130 is generally concave (when viewing face 120 fromthe front as shown in FIG. 1A), and has a radius of curvature greaterthan or equal to that of sole 112. The present invention, however, isnot so limited, and contemplates any suitable club head shape.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the clubhead body in said heel region is weight-compensated to substantiallybalance with said toe region. That is, to the extent that body 102 intoe region 110 is generally thicker than body 102 in heel region 108, itis desirable to compensate for any resulting imbalances in club head100.

Weight-compensation may be achieved in a number of ways. For example,weights, inserts, or added material may be incorporated into heel region108, either internally (e.g., high-density inserts) or externally.Conversely, material may be removed from body 102 in toe region 110. Inaccordance with one embodiment, cut-out regions are provided in the backof the club head body in the toe region and the heel region. Therespective geometries of these inserts are selected to provide therequired weight compensation. In this regard, club head 102 may bemanufactured using any suitable materials, including various metals,plastics, ceramics, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, clubhead body 120 comprises a contiguous metal material, e.g., a densetitanium alloy.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, which depict an exemplary club head 100as seen from various views, club body 102 suitably includes twocut-outs: one cut-out 202 in heel region 108, and another cut-out 204 intoe region 110. Cut-out 204 has a volume that is greater than that ofcut-out 204. The difference in cut-out volume, multiplied by the densityof the material (or materials) used to manufacture body 102,substantially compensates for the difference in weight resulting fromthe difference in thicknesses of the toe and heel areas 110 and 108.

In the illustrated embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, cut-outs 202 and204 have similar shapes, but have different depths. It will beappreciated, however, that the present invention is not so limited. Forexample, cut-outs 202 and 204 may have the same depth but differentshapes, or may comprise multiple cut-outs (e.g., perforations and thelike) distributed to produced the desired weight balancing.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, club headbody 102 is weight-compensated such that the center of gravity of theclub head body substantially lies on the shaft axis. That is, referringnow to FIG. 5, club head body 102 has a center of gravity (or center ofmass) 504. The position of center of gravity 504 may be specified bychanging the shape and/or composition of body 120. In the illustratedembodiment, cut-outs 202 and 204 (shown in FIG. 2) are configured suchthat center of gravity 504 substantially lies on axis 502 of shaft 104,or is configured such that a projection of center of gravity 504 onto aplane parallel to club head face 120 lies on a line resulting fromprojection of shaft axis 104 onto that same plane. Such a club head issaid to be “face balanced.”

Furthermore, to the extent that it is desirable to lower the center ofgravity on face 120, it is advantageous for body 102 to comprise a lowprofile region (close to the sole) extending outwardly from the back ofthe club head. Such a configuration is shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, whichdepict an exemplary low-profile region 200.

Although the invention has been described herein in conjunction with theappended drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that thescope of the invention is not so limited. Modifications in theselection, design, and arrangement of the various components and stepsdiscussed herein may be made without departing from the scope of theinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

1. A putter club head comprising: a club head body having toe region, aheel region, a sole, and a top surface opposite said sole; a hoselcoupled to said top surface and configured to accept a shaft; said clubhead body having a toe thickness defined by a distance between said topsurface and said sole in said toe region, and a heel thickness definedby a distance between said top surface and said sole in said heelregion, wherein said toe thickness is greater than said heel thickness,and wherein said club head body in said heel region isweight-compensated to substantially balance with said toe region.
 2. Theputter club head of claim 1, wherein said hosel is located atsubstantially the midpoint between said toe region and said heel region.3. The putter club head of claim 1, wherein said top surface has aconcave profile.
 4. The putter club head of claim 3, wherein said topsurface profile has a radius of curvature greater than or equal to aradius of curvature of a profile of said sole.
 5. The putter club headof claim 1, wherein said toe thickness is equal to said heel thicknessmultiplied by a toe-up factor, wherein said toe-up factor is betweenapproximately 1.20 and 1.40.
 6. The putter club head of claim 1, whereinsaid club head body in said heel region is weight-compensated such thatthe center of gravity of said club head body lies on a shaft axisdefined by said hosel.
 7. The putter club head of claim 1, wherein saidclub head body includes a toe cut-out having a first depth and a heelcut-out having a second depth, and wherein said first depth is greaterthan said second depth.
 8. A putter club head comprising: a club headbody having toe region, a heel region, a sole, and a top surfaceopposite said sole; a bore formed within said top surface atsubstantially a midpoint between said toe region and said heel region,said bore configured to accept a shaft; said club head body having a toethickness defined by a distance between said top surface and said solein said toe region, and a heel thickness defined by a distance betweensaid top surface and said sole in said heel region, wherein said toethickness is greater than said heel thickness.
 9. The putter club headof claim 8, wherein said top surface has a concave profile.
 10. Theputter club head of claim 8, wherein said top surface profile has aradius of curvature greater than or equal to a radius of curvature of aprofile of said sole.
 11. The putter club head of claim 8, wherein saidtoe thickness is equal to said heel thickness multiplied by a toe-upfactor, wherein said toe-up factor is between approximately 1.20 and1.40.
 12. The putter club head of claim 8, wherein said club head bodyin said heel region is weight-compensated to substantially balance withsaid toe region.
 13. The putter club head of claim 12, wherein said clubhead body in said heel region is weight-compensated such that the centerof gravity of said club head body lies on a shaft axis defined by saidbore.
 14. The putter club head of claim 12, wherein said club head bodyincludes a toe cut-out having a first depth and a heel cut-out having asecond depth, and wherein said first depth is greater than said seconddepth.